(Belated) Day 19 of Femslash February: Isolation

Content warning: Panic attacks and PTSD. Aka, Elsa's parents suck.

Emma races up the steps, pushing open the door. Elsa is curled up in a ball on the floor as she hyperventilates. Emma's bag drops to the floor as she quickly heads for her girlfriend's side. She drops beside her and gently places a hand on her back.

"Elsa."

Her girlfriend doesn't respond. The tears are falling fiercely down her cheeks.

"Okay, Elsa, I'm going to get you up, okay?" Elsa's breathing gets worse. "I know, but it's going to help."

Gently, Emma hooks her arms around Elsa and moves her into a sitting motion. Elsa's terrified blue eyes meet Emma's green.

"I need you to focus on your breathing. Can you try to even it for me?" Elsa shakes her head. "C'mon, of course you can. Just block everything else out, focus on your breathing. It's going to steady soon."

Elsa's white blonde hair shakes furiously for a few moments, before she finally stops moving all together. Her breathing is still shaky, but is slowly evening out. Emma grips her sweaty palm, smiling a little.

"Tell me five things you can see."

"Em…Emma…"

"I know, it seems stupid, but just humor me."

Elsa looks around, her body trembling.

"Th…the alarm clock."

"Good. Four more things."

"You."

Emma nods. "That's right. What else?"

Her breathing slightly improves. "The…the…su…sun. Bright. Too bright."

"I'll close the curtains in a minute. Two more things, Else."

Elsa makes a face but Emma can hear the results. Her breathing is still choppy, but evening out with every word. "Your baby blanket….on the…" She gasps for air. "On the bed."

"Good, good."

"The…garbage."

"Okay, now four things you can touch."

Elsa whines in distress. "Em, please…"

"You need to do it. I'm right here, I've got you."

"Your…your fingers."

Elsa's hand strokes the carpet, then reaches out for her abandoned leather jacket. Finally, she plays with her soft, pale blue sweater.

"Three things you can hear."

Elsa clamps her eyes shut. She's not hyperventilating anymore, but her body still shakes. "The…bus. School is out."

"Uh huh."

"You…you left the radio on. It's Morrisey." Emma squeezes her hand tighter. "The water in the bathroom. I forgot to turn it off. Damn it!"

Emma quickly guides Elsa back to her. "That's okay. Two things you can smell."

"I um…the lavender soap."

"Were you washing your hands before this happened?" Elsa wearily nods. "One more."

"Fabric softener. Strong."

"And one thing you can taste."

Elsa licks at her mouth. "My…my tears."

Her girlfriend still shakes slightly, but any signs of heavy breathing are gone. Emma pulls her closer and presses a kiss to the top of her head.

"Lay in bed, okay? I'll take care of everything."

"I'm sorry, Emma. I just…"

"I get it." Emma pushes a strand of hair out of her face. "This pandemic, it's triggering for a lot of reasons. You're stuck in one place, it brings you back. But you're not there anymore. You don't have to stay in your room all day. We can still go for walks, which we can do later, okay? For now, I just want you to lay down and I'll bring you some water."

"Okay."

Emma stands first, pulling Elsa to her feet. She guides her to the bed and gently tucks her in. Emma heads into the bathroom. Her sink is a block of ice, the tap still running. With a flick of a wrist, it's unfrozen and the water is off. She lowers herself onto the tub, taking a moment for herself. As an essential worker, she gets to leave the house often. That doesn't change that sometimes, she's brought back to the routine of prison.

"Let this pandemic end soon," she whispers to herself.